"Your so-called Northern Throne Club, I can't speak for anything else, but just based on your Cooking, those old men who paid 300,000 to get in won't feel like they're getting a bad deal."
She paused, then added.
"Even if you brought the world's best Michelin- starred chef to Alaska, he might not be able to make this taste in such a terrible place under these conditions."
Su Wei picked up a piece of shredded potato with his chopsticks without looking up.
He smiled, then quickly composed himself.
Emily had no idea that her casual joke just now was actually a fact that had already happened.
Charles, the financial tycoon from Seattle, has met the best private chefs and dined at the world's most prestigious restaurants.
But what made him immediately hand over the $300,000 deposit was not any meticulously crafted business plan.
It was a meal.
A whole bear feast made with brown bear meat.
That night, in the Chart Room, with the fireplace burning.
That dinner was more effective than any roadshow.
"Eat yours."
Su Wei tapped the table with his chopsticks.
Emily snorted and continued devouring the food on her plate.
The benefits of Warm the Stomach and Nourish Vitality begin to take effect twenty minutes after eating.
Su Wei could feel the temperature in his fingertips and toes rising, and the chill he had brought back from the exhibition hall was gradually dispelled.
Emily on the other side has also changed.
Her ear tips and nose, which had been white from the cold when she entered, had regained their color.
She even unbuttoned the top snap of her turtleneck cashmere sweater and slightly tugged at the collar.
It's hot.
She fanned herself twice with a tissue.
Su Wei took the last sip of soup.
The plates on the table were empty.
The braised pork was reduced to just sauce, the stir-fried cabbage was completely gone, and even the plate of shredded potatoes was soaked in broth with a few scallions.
Emily leaned back in her chair, resting her hands on the edge of the table, and let out a satisfied sigh.
"I now seriously suspect that the reason you chose to settle on Kodiak Island is so that no one in the world can freeload off you."
"You got to rub against them, didn't you?"
"So I am the chosen genius."
She bent down, picked up the Cotton Candy from beside the chair, and placed the sleepy little fox, who was already full, on her lap.
"Thanks."
These two words were spoken very softly.
Su Wei stood up and collected the plates.
The sky outside the window had completely darkened.
The winter days on Kodiak Island are very short, and it's pitch black outside.
Su Wei soaked the bowls and chopsticks in the sink and rinsed them with hot water.
"Staying in town tonight?"
"Yes. I need to report to the Fish and Game Department at nine o'clock tomorrow morning."
Emily said behind him.
"Follow the formal procedures, submit the project approval documents for the investigation mission, and obtain a temporary pass for the patrol area."
"Also, here's an update on the assessment of the Kodiak Hunting Grounds."
Su Wei turned off the tap and dried his hands with a rag.
"Let's go then, I'll take you home."
Emily put the Cotton Candy back on the blanket in front of the fireplace.
The little fox cried out, but quickly curled up into a ball and closed its eyes.
Su Wei picked up the key to the entryway.
The bear head carving and two white wolf teeth on the keychain gently collided as he turned his hand, producing a soft, crisp sound.
Once outside, the wind was stronger than it had been in the afternoon.
The snowflakes, swirled by the wind, flew along, rustling against the paint of the Raptor's car.
Su Wei started the pickup truck, the roar of the engine muffled by the wind.
It will take a few more minutes for the heater to warm up the carriage.
Emily huddled in the passenger seat, pulling her silver-white down jacket tighter around herself.
The Raptor drove out of Emerald Lake territory and onto the paved gravel road.
The beams of the headlights swept back and forth between the fir tree trunks.
Occasionally, snow would slide down from the branches of high branches, tracing white arcs in the beams of light.
The only sounds inside the carriage were the low-frequency whirring of the engine and the whirring of the warm air from the vents.
Emily leaned against the car window, saying nothing.
Twenty minutes later, the Raptor drove onto the coastal highway.
Although the snow on the road had been cleared, icy sections remained, so Su Wei kept his speed below 60 kilometers per hour.
Forty minutes later, they arrived in Kodiak Town.
The old apartment buildings in the town center stood bathed in the orange glow of the streetlights.
One window on the third floor had a light on; it belonged to the neighbor next door. Room 302, however, was completely dark.
Su Wei parked the Raptor in front of the apartment building.
He pulled Emily's black hard-shell suitcase from the back of the truck and placed it at her feet.
Emily took the lever and stood under the streetlight.
The wind blew a few strands of her golden hair to the side of her face, and she reached up to tuck them behind her ear.
"After completing the procedures at the Fish and Game Department tomorrow, I'll go to the Hunters' Guild in the afternoon to pick up a copy of the ecological survey data for the hunting area."
She tugged at the suitcase handle to make sure the wheels weren't frozen.
"If you need that data, I can make a copy for you."
"Good."
Emily turned and pushed open the old metal door of the apartment building; the hinges made a dry, rattling sound.
She took two steps, then suddenly stopped and turned her head away.
The streetlight shone on half of her face, while the other half remained hidden in the shadows.
" Su Wei."
"Um."
"Your club... can it really be successful?"
This question is different from the one I raised in the car a few hours ago.
It's neither a professional assessment by an evaluator nor a seasoned policy analysis.
It's just a friend's problem.
Su Wei leaned against the door of the Raptor, his hands in the pockets of his windbreaker.
"Was your dinner tonight good?"
Emily paused for a moment.
"Nonsense."
"Then you can."
Emily stared at him for two seconds.
Then she shook her head, turned around, and dragged her suitcase into the stairwell.
The apartment door slammed shut behind her with a dull thud.
Su Wei stood there, listening to the sound of suitcases being dragged across the stairs, one floor, two floors, three floors.
Until the light in room 302 came on.
Su Wei opened the car door, got into the driver's seat, turned the key, and the engine roared to life again.